Inkstand and bottle



1932- I T. D. HOPKINS 1,873,203

INKSTAND AND BOTTLE Filed Jan. 6, 1932 Elma/whom Patented Aug. 23, 1932 UNITED sta r s err FFIC 'K THOMAS D. HOPKINS, OF 'MONTGOMERY ALABAM IA 3 INKSTAND Ann BOTTLE Application fil ed-January 6, 1932. Serial No. 585,103. I

This invention relates to ink bottles or wells and the general object of the invention is to provide an ink bottle which may be used as ordinary ink wells are used or used for the purpose of filling fountain pens.

A further object is to provide a reservoir constituting a base for the ink well, and provide means whereby the ink in the reservoir may be allowed to flow into the ink well it'- self or cut off therefrom so that the ink well may be replenished whenever desired.

A further ob ect is'to provide means affording access to the ink well which will prevent fountainpens, when inserted in the ink well, from being withdrawn therefrom with ink thereon, thus inking the fingers of the person using the pen. 1

A further object isto provide an ink well and a reservoir therefor, the ink well being provided with a lateral opening through which a pen may be inserted and provided with a rotatable member mounted within the well proper having an ink containing chamher or pocket which, upon a rotation of the stopper or member, may be brought into con-v junction either with theopening leading to the reservoir or with the opening through which a pen may be inserted or to an intermediate position where all evaporation of the though it may be made of any other suitable material and which may have any other de sired form, this reservoir constituting the base for the ink well proper. This reservoir is formed to provide a cylindricalwell 11 which extends downward and inward at an inclination, as for instance, an inclination of 45 to the longitudinal axis of the reservoir base 10.

One. wall of this cylindrical barrel ll-is' formed with an opening 12, defined by the outwardly extending 'walls-13 which are formed with an annular recess 14 within. which is received the bead 1'5'of a rubber cup 16. The walls of this cup extend downward and inward in the general form of a con'eand the bottom of the cup is formed with a slit 17 It is to be'und-erstood that'thi's'cup 1 is sufficiently elastic and flexible as to permit a pen to be inserted through the slit 17 without material impediment, the elasticityof the cup causing the slit to close. The angle of the sides of the cup is such that the pen" is guided easily into the ink well;

Opposite the opening 12, whichlopeni-ng 1 2 is on the upperside of the cylindrical ink well 11, there is formed an opening18, lead- I ing into the reservoir 10. Disposed within the cylindrical ink well 11 is a rotatable element which I will call a stopper and which is designated generally 19. his is'provided with the hard rubber head '20 'which'ex'tend s'. over the flange at the outer end of themem ber 11 and fits closely against this flange.- The member 19 is cylindrical a-nd'fitssnug- 'ly within the inkwell 11 and is formed at one point with. the chamber or pocket 21' which intersectsv the surface of the cylindri cal stopper 19 so thatwhenthis stopper is rotated in one direction, this pocket 21 will come into register with the opening 12 and when the stopper is turned in the oppositedi' rection and halfway around, the upper pole tion of this'pocket or chamber 21 will register with the opening 18. g In the last named' l position, and upon tipping the reservoir10,

the inkwithin the reservoir may be caused to flow into the pocket 21. Then by turn! ing the stopperso as to carry the pocket 21 out of register with the opening18 the ink willbecutofl." i 1 When this. stopper is turned intosuch po sition that thepocket 2l is in register with. the opening 12, then a penimay be'insertd through the funnel or rubber cup16 into'the; pocket to secure ink for the pen... Itlwill be seen that when the stopper ,is turned. half is carried out of alinement with either oftheway around so that theichamber or pocket 21 i the pen is entirely vprevented for the reason the ink receptacle is entirely closed. 7 -much as preferably the receptacle 10 and the openings 12 or 18, then the within the pocket is prevented from evaporation and Inasink well 11 are made of glass, it is obvious that the user may see just where the pocket 21 islocated, Preferably, though not necessarily, thestopper 19 will be made of cork, hard rubber, or glass; Of course, .the stopper 19 will fit the opening in the cylindrical meme ber 11 sufficiently tightlyso that 110inkwi11- I escape and yet will not so tightly but that the stopper may be readily turned to bringthe pocket 21 into its operative or filling position. Preferably, the pocket 21 willcont'ain just enough ink to fill an ordinary fountain pen.

the slit 17 is to squeeze off the ink from a pen holder either a fountain pen holder or an ordinary pen holder which has been dipped too'far into theink in the pocket.

This device isparticularlyadapted for filling vfountain pens; The present type of bottom necessitates immersing the lower end of a fountain pen in the ink and a very caref-ul cleansing afterwards ,or else the ink 1s transferred tothe fingers ofthe user. With my ink well, this soiling of the lower end of that the. cup 16 acts to squeeze the ink off of that portion: of the pen above the nib.

The fresh ink supply may be instantly brought up into position by simply turning the stopper and if a dipping pen is used, the

' surplus is discharged back into the bottle by another 7 turn of the stopper. drying, therefore, ofthe ink norevaporation. The bottle neck is of such character that when the stopper'is turned to a point where the ink chamber 21 isdirectly downward, the chain her will open directlyinto the reservoir or: body of the bottle, and'with a slight tip, this chamber21 maybe filled. Then when the.

cork vis slightlyiturned, the filled chamber 21 is'turned oif from both the" contents of the bottle and from the filling openingf12'. At

the same time, the position of the filled chamber may be observedat all times.

While I have illustrated one embodiment of this ink bottle or stand, I do not wish to be limited to this particular embodiment as obviously the reservoir or body of the reservoir may be of any desired form and many changes might be made in the details of con-1 struction and arrangements of the parts with out departing from thespirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

'It will, of course, be understood that the ink bottle or reservoir may be initially filled by. removing the stopper and filling through.

the cylindrical. well-on which the stopper is disposed. This bottle is particularly designed-to be'usedzby manufacturers of ink in.- stead ofthe ordinary bottle;

. A particular function of the cup 16 with There is no I'cla'im:'. I 1; In an ink stand, a reservoir, a'cyllndrlcal ink well extending down into the reservoir at an angle to the longitudinal axis there'-..

of, the wall of said well having an opening, below the top of the reservoir, and an opposite pen filling opening above the top of the reservoir, a stopper manually rotatable with in the neck of the well andhaving a chamber therein, open upon the side of the stopper,

the chamber being broughtinto registry with the opening leading into the reservoir or with the opposite opening upon arotationof the stopper.

'2; An ink stand of the character described,

comprising a body constituting a base and constltutmg a reservolr for ink, a cylindrical well extending downward into said reservoir at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the reservoir, said well having an opening inits relatively large penfilling opening in its side wall disposed abovethe top of the reservoir and on the opposite side of the well andopposite from the first-named opening, a rubber cupdisposed within the last. named opening,

the cup ha'vingessentially the formiof a cone extending downward and centrally insaid opening and at its apex being formed with'a slit through which a pen maybe inserted, a

cylindrical stopper fitting within the 'cylin-;

drical well and rotatabletherein, and having a chamber formed in it opening up'on'the circumferential face of the stopper, the stop TH AS D. HOPKINS,

side wall opening into the reservoir and a Y 

